Richmond Park opens first new horse ride in over 50 years

Richmond Park’s first new horse ride in over 50 years was opened last Friday, 19 September.

The new ride, which was opened by Princess Alexandra, is on the south side of the park, near the Isabella Plantation.

The new route is easier than the old ride, which was steep and close to the road.

Lynne Mastroianni, owner of Kingston Riding Centre told H&H: “The ride is brilliant, much better than the other one.

“On the old one the going was really bad and it was really steep so horses kept pulling tendons. It is much more horse friendly.”

The route will enable the old tree-lined ride to be restored to parkland as part of a conservation objective by the Royal Parks, which manages Richmond Park.

And it has been located away from the road and areas of the park that could be damaged by heavy use.

Mark Camley, chief executive of The Royal Parks said: “The new horse ride is an excellent addition to Richmond Park. This track is a great improvement and it will allow us to return the old route back into parkland and to preserve the veteran trees that line it.”

Funding for the project was provided by Phil Swallow, a local resident and trustee of the Richmond Park Charitable Trust.

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